The invention relates to a method of assembling a tire mold core from separable core segments inside a tire mold, a method of splitting up and removing a segmented tire mold core from a tire mold and an apparatus comprising a tool by means of which the outer contour of a tire is determined and a segmented tire mold core by means of which the internal contour of a tire is determined, as well as the associated charging, conveying and control devices.
It is known to use multiple-part expandable tire mold cores for the production of tires. The difference between the expanded and unexpanded conditions of such cores is not very great. Using known apparatuses, it is possible to produce tires of only small cross sections with small cambered heights. Most conventional commerical tires with larger cushion heights cannot be produced using these known apparatuses. The occurrence of flags of material which make it difficult to remove the core and necessitate frequent cleaning of the tool are further critical factors with these apparatuses. With known core structures, it is difficult to prevent material from penetrating into the openings for the coupling pins and movement bolts or between the wedge faces, thus impairing the movability of the core.